Not Quite Sane
by Akatsuki Feathers
Summary: Five years can change a person. But now that person is out and ready to find a certain man. [Sequel to Insanity, AU, GaaLee]
1. Chapter 1

Tile: Not Quite Sane  
Pairings: GaaLee  
Rating: T  
Description: Five years can change a person. But now that person is out and ready to find a certain man.

* * *

He sighed, his breath shuddering as he exhaled. He rested his hands on his knees and pulled in large gulps of air; trying his best to catch his breath. Sweat was gathering on his forehead and jaw line, but his ignored it.

He quickly looked up at the scoreboard.

Konoha Kyuubi; 47

Oto Orochi; 20

They were winning, but that was a given. No one beat them. The basketball team, the great Konoha Kyuubi, were undefeatable. They had won every game they had played so far that season. They were only beaten once, two seasons ago when their star player Uchiha Sasuke had quit their team and had joined the Oto Orochi.

They were doing fine in the beginning of that game, but lost in the end.

But that was one game, and they soon started their winning streak again when they beat team Kiri.

Rock Lee sprung up; a newfound burst of energy completely blowing away his fatigue, and rushed down the court. Naruto was guarding Sasuke; Shikamaru had Tayuya, while Chouji had Jirobo. Kidomaru had the ball and Neji was gaining on him.

The Hyuuga jumped in front of him and blocked Kidomaru. He passed to Kimimaro.

Lee rushed up to the white haired man and raised his arms and spread his legs to block him. Kimimaro dribbled to the left, trying to break away from Lee's block, and Lee followed. He reached forward to steal the ball.

Kimimaro jumped back, his special sneakers squeaking against the lightly polished floor and threw the ball.

Lee watched as it sailed over his head and towards what seemed like no one. He was taken aback when Sasuke suddenly ran around Naruto and skidded, catching the ball easily between his two ready hands. He pivoted towards the hoop and shot.

His teammates all rushed towards the hoop, ready to catch it if the ball didn't make it in.

The two point shot did not affect them, and they started the game back up quickly.

Lee passed the ball quickly to Chouji.

He passed the ball down to Neji, who was halfway down the court. Chouji was always good at passing long distances.

Neji swerved between Tayuya and Kimimaro with ease.

Lee ran behind Sasuke and held his hands in the air.

Neji faked an air pass and bounce passed it to him.

Lee dodged to the side as Sasuke fell for the fake. He grabbed the ball, pivoted quickly, and shot down the rest of the court. He sidestepped Jirobo and passed the ball quickly to Kiba when Sasuke and Kimimaro cornered him.

Kiba caught it in the air easily and shot for the basket. It rolled around the rim quickly before it fell into the basket.

The time ticked down quickly and soon there was only a few seconds left.

The ending of the game buzzed and everyone looked at the scoreboard one last time to see who had won.

Konoha Kyuubi; 49

Oto Orochi; 24

---

The locker rooms had always been awkward. Everyone knew he was gay and they held no bias towards him for it. But changing and showering had always been awkward.

Lee never looked at his teammates in such a manner, but insecurities of him doing so were still there. Even after having them be teammates for years.

He walked over to his locker and sat down on the bench across from it.

"Hay, what's wrong, Fuzzy Brows?" Naruto asked him as he pulled open his own locker.

He was never afraid of Lee in that way in the locker room…

"Nothing, Naruto-san," He said, still facing his locker, "I am just waiting for everyone to finish."

Lee pulled open his locker and stared at his folded cloths quietly.

"Why are you so afraid of showering with us, Lee?" Naruto asked, looking at him.

Lee bit his lip, he could feel his face heating up, "I-I-I am j-just very sh-shy, Naruto-k-kun!" He stuttered out.

He felt Naruto stare at him, "Since when have you been shy?" He yelled.

Lee looked at him swiftly, but quickly turned away when he caught sight of Naruto's bare chest. He blushed deeper; embarrassed that he saw one of his best friends almost naked.

"I have a-always been shy!" He squeezed his eyes shut and placed his hands over his face in embarrassment.

Naruto stared at him, blinking several times as he continued to stare. "Yeah, well, I'm going to shower… I smell really bad… Ew." He muttered and walked towards the showering area.

Lee slowly pulled his hands away from his face and rubbed his eyes in fatigue. He leaned forward and rested his head on his knees and released a much-needed sigh.

He seemed to be doing that a lot.

---

He curled up in his bed, his joints still sore even after the two hot showers he just took, and yawned. He wrapped his arms and pressed them against his chest and pulled his legs up towards his body so he was curled up into a tight ball. He yawned again, his eyes becoming heavy. He closed them, not much in the mood for fighting it, and dozed off.

**Thin lips pressed against his own, a large tuft of red hair resting against his cheek.**

**Lee pressed his eyes closed happily and rested his hands on the person's face. He pulled his head away, his hands keeping the other person's head away. He opened his eyes and stared at him, smiling peacefully.**

**Gaara stared at him, face stony and cold, but that was how he usually looked.**

**He pressed his forehead against the redhead's and made their noses touch. He looked at him, smiling from ear to ear.**

**Gaara's hands rested on his hips, and his lips stretched to press against his own.**

**He gently kissed back, happy to see Gaara out of that **_**place.**_

Lee sighed happily, his lips pointed into a smile, as he dreamt about Gaara once again. Every night, he'd frequently dream about the other, leaving him rather happy during his day.

**"I am glad you are back, Gaara-kun."**

---

He rolled out of bed and walked down to his bathroom to shower. He sighed, the scolding water feeling fantastic against his knotted muscles. He didn't care about the little fact that it was already unbearably hot and humid outside to take a hot shower like that; he was just too sore to care.

Lee crawled over to his bedroom, his hair sticking to his forehead, and sluggishly made his bed. His still wet feet made strange sounds against the wooden floor and he walked away from the neatly made bed. He dried out his hair and wiped away the extra water that still clung to his body.

He sighed, feeling much better, and jumped to his closet to choose his attire of the day. Considering the heat and his plans for the day, Lee decided to wear a gray polo, khaki shorts, his sneakers, and bring along his silver mp3 player.

He had classes tomorrow and should at least worked on one of his projects; but he really had to get groceries so he pushed it off to the side in a very unlike Lee manner.

---

He had gotten the call during class, but ignored it, letting the person calling him leave a message. It wasn't polite to talk on cell phones during class. So, he let it vibrate and it stopped soon.

But, it did it again. He ignored it while writing down the math formula on his notepaper. But, soon after it had stopped, it started again.

Lee had spent a good fifteen minutes 'ignoring' his phone before he was forced to raise his hand and ask to leave class for a moment.

He stepped out of the classroom and flipped open the phone, "Hello?" He asked, staring at the double doors that lead to the classroom and watched his white-haired teacher continue teaching class.

_I hope this call won't take too long… I hope it's not an emergency… I'll get behind in class if it is…_ He worried.

There wasn't an answer for quite a bit of time.

"Um… Hello?" Lee repeated, looking uncertain. If this was a prank call, the prankster was pretty committed.

There was a sigh. A sigh that was eerily familiar to him.

"_Lee…_"

His eyes widened considerably and he held his breath. He clutched the cell and pulled it away from his ear. He stared down at the number with wonder. He quickly placed it back towards his ear and licked his dry lips.

"Gaara-kun?" He asked, his heart thumping within his ears loudly. He cursed it, hoping his own heartbeat wouldn't drown out Gaara's voice.

He frowned, lips quivering, when the dial tone sounded. He had hung up on him…

Lee stared at the darkening screen and sighed, eyes downcast. He snapped it shut and placed it back into his pocket. He stepped back into the classroom and slid back into his seat.

---

He smiled and happily chatted with Naruto, Sasuke, and Neji.

"So, Fuzzy Brows, what happened during class earlier?" Naruto asked him.

Lee coughed down his soup, some of it threatening to come out of his nose. He scrunched his face and wiped his stinging nose. His heartbeat picked up quickly, and he suddenly felt fidgety.

"I, um, received a call…"

"From who?" Neji inquired, looking at him with his intense gray eyes.

Lee flushed in embarrassment while his fingers stitched together, "Gaara."

All pairs of eyes grew large. Naruto leaned forward, looking at him with amazement.

"Are you serious?" He asked in a yell.

Lee nodded enthusiastically, "Yes, he did, Naruto-san."

"Hn, I wonder why he called you _now_?" Sasuke pondered, eyes clouding slightly as he thought.

"Yeah! It's been five years! He should have at least called you once!" Naruto said angrily.

Lee smiled and held up his hands in a defensive manner. "Maybe they would not allow him to call people." He said, trying his best to stand up for Gaara.

"This is strange. We haven't heard of him in five years… Does that mean he is out of that place?" Neji wondered, looking at Lee carefully.

He brightened up significantly. "You really think so, Neji-san?" He asked, eyes sparkling.

He nodded slowly, "It's possible."

"Yes!" Lee shouted happily and jumped up from his seat. "I will be back later, I have to make a call!" He said and rushed away.

---

He flipped open his phone and checked his messages. There were none.

He frowned and looked through his calls, looking for the number that Gaara used to call him. He brightened suddenly when he found it. He whispered a small 'yes!' and dialed the number. Lee held to phone up to his ear in excitement.

"_Hello?_"

He blinked. That didn't sound like Gaara.

"Ah, yes, I am calling to speak to Gaara-kun." He said, his breath suddenly held again.

"_Hmm? Who is this?_" The voice was rough and mature and low. Baritone low actually. Defiantly a man…

"Rock Lee." He answered.

"_What? How did you get this number, Lee?_" The person asked him.

"Um, excuse me, but might I inquire as to who _you_ may be?" He asked.

"_Tch, you date my little bro and you don't even remember my voice…_" The talker sighed and exasperation.

Lee's eyes widened, "K-Kankurou-san?" He asked, amazed.

"_Sure am, you little shit._" He growled, annoyed, "_Now tell me. How did you get this number?_" He asked.

"Gaara-kun called my about two hours ago."

The line was quiet.

"Is it true? Is Gaara out of that place?" He asked eagerly.

The line died, leaving him with the dial tone again.

_What's going on?_ Lee wondered, his gut sinking.

---

He walked into his apartment and tossed his backpack on the sofa that sat in his living room. He slipped off his shoes and socks and padded down the hallway to his bedroom. He tossed his dirty socks in the pile of dirty clothing and placed his shoes down near the door of his bedroom.

Lee yawned and stretched his arms. He padded down to the kitchen. He looked down at the phone and blinked in wonder as he saw a small number one flash on the small screen.

He pushed the button and strained his ears to hear.

"_Gaara's back._"


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Note: Ok, I have two things to say:

One: I'm almost done with Finals. -happy-

Two: I fixed the typos in chapter one. If there are more, please inform me on specifics, because I reread it over_ ten_ times after I fixed the initial typos.

Oh, and don't be afraid to tell me things like that! Okay, thanks. :P

* * *

It cackled, highly amused.

_What now?_ He asked, staring blankly at the powder blue wall next to his bed.

**"Hehe, just thinking…"** It replied.

_About what?_

**"Oh, you know. Therapy, therapists, and how they failed to get rid of me. The usual."** It giggled bubbly.

_Hn._ He sighed and rubbed his darkened eyelids. He clicked on the television, glaring holes at the stupid children's show. He wasn't allowed to watch anything that involved violence.

He had spent _five years_ watching those freaky, messed up, children shows. He had enough of it.

Gaara chucked the remote towards the television, only to watch the nylon string attached to it grow taunt and refuse to let the remote smash into the television screen like Gaara had intended for it to do.

**"Why is that monkey singing?"** Shukaku asked, staring at the purple colored money with overly large boots on.

_I don't think I want to know…_ He placed a hand over his eyes and groaned.

He listened to his door open and watched, from a small opening between his fingers, a nurse come in. She was smiling brightly, like she always did when she came to give him his daily pill, and handed him a small glass of water and a small white pill.

He took it, not really paying attention, and looked at her while he put it on the back of his tongue. He gulped the water and swallowed the pill quickly.

"Good morning, Gaara-koi!" She said happily.

He could feel his eye twitch. _Love?_

**"Eh, she's messed up."**

"Don't call me that." The irritable twenty year-old hissed, crossing his arms stubbornly over his chest.

She continued to smile, making him remember how Lee always seemed to smile, even when the conditions were bad.

He gulped down a knot within his throat and moved his hands away from his chest and rested it on his stomach.

"Sorry about that." She said flamboyantly, "It won't happen again." She promised.

_It better not._ He huffed, staring at the mindless show on the TV rather then at her.

"Just leave me alone." He moped.

She continued to smile and left the room, "Ok, bye Gaara-kun!"

He twitched, feeling incredibly lovesick and lonely.

**"But Gaara-chan, you still have me!"**

_Shut up and back off._

---

He straightened out his long red hair, insomnia-rounded eyes staring at the mirror blankly. He had grown his hair out slightly longer then it was when he was a teen, but he was still unable to get rid of the darkened rings under his eyes.

Gaara gently rested his head against the sink and sighed, the coolness of the sink making his warm head feel better. His temples were throbbing, but that was the usual side effect of his daily pills. It was a part of his life.

**"Stop… Moping…"** Shukaku sounded like he was out of breath.

That was what usually happened when he took his pill.

_Hmm…_ He cracked a small smile. As much as he despised the pill, it was rather nice when Shukaku seemed talkative.

Gaara stood up and padded out of the bathroom. He straightened out his white shirt and yawned, his eyelids heavy. He sat down at the small table that was placed in the corner of his room and looked at the door.

"You can come in now." He said, rubbing his temple for a last time.

The door swung open, revealing a happy Kankurou and Temari.

The two siblings stepped into the room and greeted their younger brother.

Gaara motioned for them to sit in the other chairs that were stationed near the table and they did so.

He leaned forward, watching them carefully, "What's the news?"

Kankurou smiled wider, "I told you I'd get you outta this place."

Gaara's eyes widened a fraction. "They're letting me go?" He asked, hopeful.

**"Good…** **I can…** **Finally…** **Talk…** **When you're out… Of here…"**

He ignored Shukaku and stared at his siblings.

Temari had stood up by this point and embraced him in a tight hug. She held a tuft of his hair between her fingers gently. "You're officially out of here by nine…" She whispered.

He pulled her away from him and stared at the two.

He couldn't remember a time when he was that relieved.

---

He stared down at Kankurou's cell phone. He flipped it open and looked at his older brother with confusion.

"Hand it over, I'll do it." Kankurou took the phone from him, "What's the green kid's phone number?" He asked, staring at him.

Good thing Temari found out Rock Lee's cell phone number for him…

Gaara took the phone from him and typed in the number slowly. He handed it back to Kankurou, who pressed the small green call button and handed it back to him.

He held it up to his ear gingerly and waited.

"_Hello! This is Rock Lee. I cannot answer my phone right now, if you would please leave a message, I will get back to you later. Good-bye!_"

His heart thumped roughly in his chest as he heard Lee's voice for the first time in what seemed like forever. When he was in the crazy house, he wasn't allowed contact with anyone other than his family, doctors, and nurses.

"He didn't answer his phone," Gaara told his brother as he stared down at the cell phone's screen.

"Well, he's probably busy at work or at college or something. Try again later." Kankurou told him in a bland tone.

"To call, just punch in the number and press the green button." He explained.

Gaara nodded and watched his brother walk out of his room and down to his own. He looked back down at his brother's phone and typed in Lee's phone number again. He pressed the green button and listened.

"_Hello! This is Rock Lee. I cannot answer my phone right now, if you would please leave a message, I will get back to you later. Good-bye!_"

Every time he heard his voice, he felt his heart thump contently. He must have missed Lee more than he had earlier thought.

He tried getting an answer for a good fifteen minutes, even though he was only half doing it to hear the man's voice again. But he was startled when he heard an answer.

"_Hello?_"

He couldn't speak.

"_Um, hello?_" He asked again.

He sighed, readying himself, "Lee…"

"_Gaara-kun?_"

There he went, adding honorifics to his name again. His fingers twitched and he felt a bit strange. Gaara quickly snapped it close and placed it on his bed, next to him. He started at the faux chrome surface and sighed.

He was a coward…

Gaara stood up and grabbed his older brother's phone. He made his way into the hallway and to Kankurou's bedroom door. He knocked on it, waiting patiently as he heard his brother stumble through his pigsty of a room and answer the door.

"Yeah?" He asked, a delayed reaction as to who was actually at his door. He looked down at his younger brother, small eyes widening slightly. "Oh, hey, Gaara." He said with a humiliated grin.

"Here." He held out his brother's phone and recoiled his arm once he took it. He turned around, completely ignoring Kankurou, and stepped back towards his room.

---

**"Hmm, messing with your head is getting harder. I can't make fun of things that you love, because I can't think of any good material about them anymore. I can constantly annoy you with chitchat but you have those damned pills (Which I highly doubt you'd still take, but you've surprised me plenty of times in the past.) This is truly saddening."** Shukaku moped.

Gaara sighed and poked his forehead in aggravation, the hiring section of the newspaper sitting in front of him.

At least the people in the loony house had the decent courtesy to give him the education that he needed. Or else, he'd be a high school dropout and looking for a deadbeat job. He longed to go to college, but what college in their right mind would enlist him? He did spent a good chunk of his high school years in an insane asylum…

He was in a load of trouble.

_Ok,_ he thought, trying to concentrate. _First, I'll find a job, and then I'll go out and look for Lee. After that, I'll worry about college._

He carefully thumbed his way through the jobs, skipping over the parts that involved a college education.

After a half an hour of skimming and re-skimming, he had found nothing.

Around lunchtime, Temari had come towards him, her usual motherly side showing.

"Need help? Because we're looking for some helpers down at the diner, and you could get hired easily." She told him, taking a seat next to him.

He sighed, not really wanting to take a job as a waiter or busboy. He had promised himself that he would never work in the food business. It was too messy and the pay, most of the time, just barely reached minimum wage.

"Sure, why not." He muttered, very much not liking the predicament he was in.

"Great! You're going to have a great time working there! I promise." She said happily and patted his arm.

_Yeah, real fun…_ He thought and watched his motherly sister leave the kitchen.

**"Oh, I'm going to love next week."** Shukaku giggled.

---

He watched with zero emotion as a school of pills swirled around in the water and disappear into the bowels of the toilet. He threw the safety seal bottle into the wastebasket next to the sink and sat down on the lip of the tub. He combed his fingers through his hair and sighed quietly, his eyes aching with fatigue.

No more headaches, but more of Shukaku's babble.

But he could care less about the speaking of Shukaku for he had almost mastered ignoring him by now.

**"But you still hear me,"** He sung, **"Like listening to music and watching TV at the same time. You might not hear it in full volume and you may not hear it all; but you can still hear it."**

He could practically feel it sneer.

_Good for you. But I'm getting better, and sooner or later, I'll be able to block you out completely._ He shot back, sneering himself.

**"We'll see about that, Gaa-chan."** Shukaku laughed that annoying, high-pitched, laugh that always irritated the hell out of him.

_Stop that, what if I just started laughing like some crazy person?_

**"Now, I just can't** **see you doing** **that.** **You're** **much too** **smart for that…"**

_So you're admitting that laughing like that makes you stupid?_ He asked in amusement.

**"Not quite. For I'm not real so it doesn't count for me."** It started laughing again, making Gaara want to punch himself in the face. He, instead, straightened his t-shirt and pulled up his pants (which were much too large for him) and stalked out of the bathroom and towards his bedroom.

He crawled into his bed and groaned lightly. He gingerly closed his eyes and drifted to sleep.

---

He started to grit his teeth as he stared at the several scantly clad waitresses beeline their way through the small diner.

He rubbed his tired eyes and stared at a certain blonde haired boy that sat at the bar. He dared to step further into the retro diner and took a seat next to the blonde.

"Hello, Naruto." He greeted calmly, his eyes staring at his elder sister who manned the drinks behind the bar. The swivel chair that he sat on felt very unstable for some reason.

Naruto snapped his head towards him and his blue eyes grew three times their normal size.

"G-Gaara!" He gasped with excitement.

"…"

"They let you out of the hellhole?" He asked in amazement.

Gaara nodded his head shallowly.

"That's great! Oh my gosh, Fuzzy Brow's is going to be so happy when I tell him you're back!"

Gaara looked at Naruto quickly, his eyes widening a fraction. "Naruto! You know where Lee is?" He asked, looking at him sharply.

Naruto's grin grew. "I sure do! We have some of the same classes together!"

He stared at him for a moment, his heartbeat accelerating, "Can you bring me to him? Right now?" He asked; eyes centered on the orange clad college student.

"Sure can! Just," He looked down at his ramen, "Can I finish my ramen first?"


	3. Chapter 3

Author's Note: Writer's block is_ not_ fun!

* * *

He watched his sister wipe her soda-covered hands on her jeans and look down at her pocket in annoyance. She pulled out her cell phone and answered it.

"Hello?" She asked, looking at him quickly before turning her attention to the wall to her right, "Oh, hay Kankurou…" She said, looking at Gaara again, a small smile playing her lips.

He sighed, listening to his sister talk and his friend contently slurp his ramen.

"Kankurou, what's wrong? Ok, ok, me and Gaara will be there in a minute." She flipped her phone shut and turned to him.

Gaara stared at her, eyes looking at her body language for any clue about the bad news that seemed to be happening.

She sighed, her body completely calm and centered, "Gaara, we have to leave." She told him, quickly unpinning her employee pin and set it on the counter.

"Hay, Ayame," Temari called to the back kitchen, "I have to leave. A family problem has come up, is that ok?" She asked.

The woman nodded, smiling happily.

"Thank you!" Temari said quickly and rounded her way over towards Gaara.

He stood up from his chair, staring at it as it wobbled back and forth. "What's going on?" He asked her, looking at her blandly.

"Hay, Gaara, where are you goin'?" Naruto asked, distracting him.

Temari motioned for him to follow her, "Sorry, Naruto, but we have a little family problem." She vaguely informed him. She exited the diner and walked over towards her small junkie of a car.

Gaara slowly followed after her, his thin brow lifted high against his forehead. "What's going on?" He asked again.

She opened the dented door and climbed into the driver's seat.

He entered the car and stared at her, "What's going on?" He repeated, getting impatient.

She held the steering wheel at ten and two and kept her eyes forward, like she were driving even though she was not. She pulled in a deep breath and continued to stare at the wall in front of the car, "Father died this morning." She told him, her emotions well kept.

He wasn't quite sure if this was because she was happy that their bastard of a father was finally dead, or if she was bottling them in to keep both of them calm.

_Finally!_ Gaara inwardly cheered. He crossed his arms and kept his face stony. "So, where are we going now?" He asked; eyes keen on her movements.

Temari started up the car easily and moved the stick shift to reverse. She backed the car up, moved the shift to first gear and started to drive.

"Kankurou doesn't want to take the bus home, so we're going to pick him up."

This was obviously not the reason why. But he humored her with a small 'Hn' and stared out his passenger side window.

---

Kankurou was the only one in their 'family' that had any sort of positive connection to their father. To Kankurou, their father was a father.

To Temari, their father was a person who was there to talk to; but nothing more and nothing less.

To Gaara, their father was a conniving bastard who didn't deserve the title of father.

He stood in the hospital room, looking at Kankurou staring down at the empty bed. His face was blank (a thing his family seemed to do a lot) but his eyes were wild with emotion. He loved his brother, he could easily admit that, but was angry with him for holding such emotions towards a man who impersonated their father (he _was_ their father, just didn't seem like it.) He stepped up next to him and pointed his head down, his eyes angled at the bed. He outstretched an arm to pat Kankurou on the shoulder, but hesitated several inches away. He quickly patted him on the shoulder and allowed his hand to fall limp to his side. "Sorry." He muttered to him, teal eyes still looking at the bed.

He was feeling odd today.

Kankurou looked at him with disbelief. "N-No problem." He said and gently patted Gaara's shoulder.

He didn't move; the small contact was fine with him. He placed his hands into his pockets and looked up at his older brother. _I don't think I'll truly understand him…_ He thought vaguely.

---

The funeral was short. Distant family members came to get whatever their father had given them in his will and tried to convince the siblings to 'loan' them some of the inheritance they were given. They ignored them. Small sayings were given right before the coffin was shoved into the ground. Gaara had wanted to say something, but Temari refused to allow him to, so he sat in his seat, sulking. Kankurou didn't seem too bad, even though he was saddened by the death of their father. He wasn't the type to cry, so he didn't. Gaara didn't feel like crying, so he didn't. The most Temari did was have her eyes mist up. It ended quickly when it started raining out: a rather decent ending to a funeral in Gaara's opinion.

Shukaku yawned, **"God, this is so **_**boring.**_**"** It moaned with displeasure.

_Stop bitching about it to me. How do you think I feel about this?_ He thought, staring out of the car window in boredom. His cheek was pressed against the glass, making it become numb from the cold.

**"Oh, let's see… Hmm… You're feeling pissed because you can still hear me. You're sad because you miss little old _Lee-kun!_ And… Yeah, that's all."** It replied, voice dripping with pleasure.

He sighed, darkened eyes drooping in weariness. He yawned, his jaw cracking loudly, and held up his hand in front of his face. He grumbled when he finished yawning and rubbed his jaw.

"Where are we going?" He asked the driver, Temari, in boredom. Kankurou looked at him, muttered something under his breath, and turned back to his own window to watch the rain continue to fall.

"It's a surprise." She told him.

His hopes of catching up with Naruto and have him take him to Lee's place faltered. Seeing as it was Temari, and right after a funeral, he was probably being dragged to some family member's house to 'mourn' over their father's death. How very fun….

Their father was over fifty. He had a heart attack and died in the hospital. He could really care less about him.

But, Gaara was surprised when the car suddenly stopped. He looked out the fogged window and at an apartment complex.

"Where are we?" He asked his older siblings as he unbuckled himself from the seat. He opened the door, not even bothering to wait for the answer. They'd tell him soon enough, no need wasting time for them to reply.

He stepped out of the car and stared over the small cars top and at his exiting sister. He turned his attention to his brother he as he too exited the car.

She placed on a tiny smile, "This is where Lee lives."

He snapped his head in her direction again. "What?" He hissed, not really intending on his voice to turn like that. Why hadn't she just taken him to Lee's place earlier?

"Yeah, Naruto called me up during the funeral and told me where he lives!" She said with a happy smile.

He stared at her, not really remembering her ever getting a call. But he wasn't really paying attention in the first place, so he could see her getting a call without his notice. He nodded shallowly and started to follow his sister.

They walked up the metal stairs and down the small walkway until they reached a plain door marked with a small, bronze 27.

His blonde haired sister knocked on the door easily and waited for a reply. The door opened soon after and a bright looking Rock Lee answer.

"Yes?" He asked, not fully seeing who was at his door yet. His mouth went slack when he saw the redhead standing right next to the blonde. His eyes grew large.

He looked kind of like a fish, in Gaara's opinion. It kind of made him want to laugh.

**"Oh, Gaara-chan, you aren't getting soft on me, are you?" **Shukaku cooed.

"Gaara-kun!" Lee screeched, making Temari stumble back. He shot forward quickly and gather the man into a tight bear hug. He swung back and forth happily, making Gaara slightly dizzy. "Gaara-kun, Gaara-kun, Gaara-kun!"

Gaara braced his hands on Lee's shoulders and pushed his head away from the twenty-one year-olds shoulder. He pulled in a deep breath and wiggled slightly, trying to get out of Lee's tight grip.

Lee set him down quickly, muttering several apologies.

Gaara could hear Kankurou grumble to himself behind him.

"I missed you so much." Lee told him, grasping Gaara's hand.

"I missed you as well." Gaara's heartstrings were being strung.

Lee tugged him into the house, and as an after thought, invited Kankurou and Temari in as well.

He observed his apartment slowly, taking in his surroundings slowly. His siblings walked past him and followed Lee into the kitchen.

Rock Lee's home was very warm: to say the least. Even though the walls were blank, the stripped wallpaper didn't make them seem neglected. The small couch that sat in the middle of the living room seemed relatively new. It was a soft tan color. In front of it was a small coffee table, which was in front of the small television propped on a small table.

He walked into the small kitchen and silently observed how crowded it seemed in it. He sat down at the counter along with his siblings and watched with quiet amusement as Lee tried to find a decent snack in the refrigerator.

"Uh, would you like some carrot sticks?" He offered nervously.

"Carrots are nasty." Kankurou said, his attention drawn somewhere else.

"Celery?"

"Eww, no."

"Um… Would you like some," He closed the refrigerator and walked over to one of the cabinets, "Pocky?"

The siblings agreed easily on this. Lee set the small rectangular box of pocky on the counter and walked over to Gaara.

Gaara watched him and observed Kankurou open the new box of pocky and dig in, making Temari complain next to him. He stood up and pulled down his black shirt and motioned for them to leave the kitchen.

---

For some reason, Lee thought that a decent place to talk was in his bedroom. So, there they both were, sitting on his bed, both facing each other.

He shifted and looked at the black-haired man. He moved himself over to him and pressed their chests together. He leaned forward and pressed their lips together gently, testing to see if it felt as good as it did five years ago.

He was disappointed. He still harbored strong feelings towards Rock Lee, and by the way he kissed back, it seemed as if Lee held feelings towards him as well. But… It didn't seem right. Their lips just didn't feel like they fit each other. At least, not like they did when they were teenagers.

Five years was a long time to love a person without actually seeing them. Maybe it wasn't even straightforward love. It could have been a crush that started off their little spree. He couldn't tell anymore…

Gaara's eyes widened as he quickly pulled away from him. He looked down at the black-eyed man and saw that he too was thinking along the same lines as he was.

He wasn't concerned about the fact that they didn't seem right for each other at that moment. With time and a little effort, they could fix it. He knew that easily, and knew that Lee would figure that out soon. He was concerned about the fact that was unable to remember much of the time when he was fifteen. He felt as if he memories were robbed from him. They weren't, of course, but that's how it felt to him. Like he was literally unable to tap into them. Like they weren't even there. He knew that wasn't correct either. The memories of his life as a fifteen year-old should have been the strongest ones in his memory banks. But, he could barely remember any of it.

He remembered meeting Lee in that waiting room at the Center. Walking down the street with his siblings and seeing Lee with his freshly bruised eye. Then there was a sudden blank… The next thing he remembered was standing next to the tree near the lake, waiting for Lee to come down. He remembered rejecting Lee, but after that there was yet another blank. This blank was long, and consumed most of his memories, because the next memory was of him attacking his father. He could remember why he was attacking his father, and everything afterwards. But, that blank left him unknowing. He understood that something was supposed to happen before he attacked his father and after he made out with Lee in that tree… He just couldn't figure out what.

This worried him greatly. Had his pills done this to him? Was one of the side effects of that pill memory loss?

If this were true, he would have bluntly refused to take a single one of them over those five years. He had taken that little white pill for five years. If it really did cause memory loss, he'd probably never remember them again. Who knew what else he was unable to remember!

**"Why do you think I'd know? I remember everything you do, so if you forget something, I sure as hell can't remember it either!"** Shukaku told him.

He grasped the sides of Lee's head and made sure they had eye contact.

He hadn't thought much about Lee those five years in the loony house. He did this because of two reasons. The first: to keep his heart from breaking from lovesickness. The second: he was given another special little pill for the first two years to keep him calm. This special little red pill kept him in a daze for most of the day.

He pressed their unfitting lips together roughly; a small part of him hoping that the impact would make the two fit again. His eyes were wide and strained as he looked at Lee's.

For some reason, Lee's eyes were still those large disks like they were when he was a minor. They looked like they belonged to a child rather then a man such as Lee. They seemed to hold that innocent glint that he had recognized when they first meet. But they still had that rough adult huskiness. Filled with experience that Gaara didn't know about.

He didn't know a lot about Lee. He knew that Lee had a rough childhood and a strange relationship with his father. He knew that his father was in jail, if he were still or not, he wasn't quite sure. He knew that Lee's last name was Rock and that he enjoyed sports. He couldn't remember if he was told anything else. But beyond that, he wasn't sure if he knew anything else.

He focused back on Lee rather than in his own thoughts. He bit down roughly on his bottom lip, trying to coax his mouth open so that they could go further.

Lee refused, his eyes set and determined.

Gaara could remember Lee being determined, and hated it at times. They separated, Gaara frowning irritably.

"Lee," He said, staring at him. He didn't really think he was pouting, but the look on the other's face told him he was making a pout-like face. Apparently, his pouting face was very comical.

Lee laughed a little to himself, his hand held up to his mouth to try and cover it up. He had just noticed that Lee had bandages wrapped around his hands and completely forgot about Lee and his giggling.

He took his hand in his gently and pressed the pads of his fingers across the bandages. He flipped his hand over and ghostly went across the spot were he remembered that long scar was. He pealed back the bandages, revealing his tanned, scarred hand. He looked down at the whitened scar and pressed his lips against it gently.

Lee blushed and pulled his hand away, hiding it behind his back. "P-Please stop, G-Gaara-kun." He muttered in embarrassment.

He couldn't really remember Lee being embarrassed about his scars, but it didn't seem new to him…

"Stop that," He scolded and pulled Lee hands back in front of him. He took no time to start unwrapping them. He traced his pale fingers over the different shaded scars, his eyes set on them with fascination.

"Lee…" He turned his head away from his hand and looked at the athlete, "I have a lot to ask of you." He stated slowly, the words feeling strange on his tongue, "And I'd like to start by asking you about these scars…"


	4. Chapter 4

Author's Note: I would give you an excuse for the _long, long, long_ delay... But I no longer have the right to present you all, my faithful readers, an excuse. So, I only have this to say to you: I'm sorry.

* * *

"W-Well," He pointed out several small ones that laced his fingers, "These were made by shells when I was at the beach when I was young… I fell over and caught myself with my hands, but I happened to land on a small pile of shells that were in the sand."

Lee looked horribly embarrassed. As if that little mistake was something horrible…

Gaara nodded, taking in his words. "What about that one?" He pointed to the large one that he always seemed to stare at when he saw Lee's hands.

He pulled both his hands away and looked Gaara straight in the eye. "I really do not wish to talk about that one…" He muttered, completely serious.

He nodded again, understanding that Lee had his limits to things such as that. He took Lee's hands again and looked them over once more. "What about this?" He motioned towards the fresh burn that was on Lee's thumb.

Lee laughed to himself, "Burned myself making dinner last night." He admitted, slightly flustered again.

"Hn." He looked down at Lee's hand again, not amused.

---

The two stepped out of the bedroom. Lee looked extra flustered, which caught Temari's attention.

She stood up, a half eaten stick of pocky wiggling between her teeth, and walked over towards them. She placed her hands on her hips and looked at her younger brother and then at Lee. "Do you mind telling me what you were doing in there?" She asked, seeming slightly apprehensive.

Lee burned a bright red. He held up his re-bandaged hands in defense and said to her quickly, "Nothing, Temari-sama!"

He looked like he was going to fall over.

Gaara could hear Shukaku giggle to himself and felt a slight pounding against his ears. He looked at Lee for a moment and then faced his sister with a controlled face. "I'm not quite sure what you're getting to Temari, but I assure you that nothing much happened." He said stonily.

Her navy eyes looked at them both for a moment, before she shrugged a lazy shoulder and turned around and stepped back to the counter. She took a seat again and started a silent war with Kankurou for the last four sticks.

Lee looked at the three siblings and seemed to wonder something. He opened his mouth to speak, looking like a gapping fish again.

Gaara cracked his lips to show a small sliver of enamel: his kind of smile.

"Kankurou-sama, Temari-sama, Gaara-kun, why are you all wearing black?" He asked, large eyes looking at each sibling multiple times before they rested on Gaara.

The redhead shoved his hands into his pockets and stared at his brother and sister, indicating for one of them to tell what was going on.

Temari's face became distorted for a quick second before the familiar mask was placed back on. "We just came back from our father's funeral."

There was silence. It was a normal silence that Gaara was beginning to become used to. It was a silence where someone in the party was slowly processing information, good or bad, it didn't really matter. The lack of interaction was still gut-twisting, nerve-wrenching, and awkward…

"I am so sorry, Temari-sama, Kankurou-sama, Gaara-kun…" His voice was low and quiet, just reaching above a whisper.

He addressed them all; Gaara took note of. He really was very emotional like that.

Gaara scoffed. Liked he cared about his bastard father, better for him that he was dead!

Lee threw his arms around Gaara's shoulders and pressed his nose against his hair, "I am sorry…" He whispered in the wisps of red hair.

He threw a lazy arm around his waist and gave a light squeeze. His eyes betrayed him, still looking dull with lackluster.

"Ha!" Temari declared in triumph, interrupting their not-so-sweet moment. She held up her prize, three and a half pocky sticks, and stuck her tongue out at her younger brother.

Kankurou scowled at her, clenching the half piece of pocky in his hand and threw his head to the side; looking like a hard-ass.

Gaara scratched his cheek and looked at his siblings with a dull look. He unwrapped his arm from Lee and kissed him on his unexpected lips. He patted him on the shoulder, ignoring Lee's smiling, and fully noticed the height difference. He still held a frown as he looked at Lee's height, figuring he had to be at least five inches shorter than Lee.

The realization was not pleasant. _Damnit, I'm still short!_

**"Well, of course you are! You've been fed drugs and you've been socially isolated for five years! I wouldn't expect you to be six foot nine!"** Shukaku joked, voice high and haughty. Over exaggeration was all over his comment.

When Gaara turned back to his brother and sister, he had noticed that Kankurou had effectively stolen back the treats and had all three sticks shoved into his mouth (at least, as far as the unbroken pieces could get.) He was smiling arrogantly, the sticks resting between his teeth.

Temari frowned, her arms crossed against her breasts. She scowled at Kankurou and looked like she wanted to slap him straight against the cheek. She didn't though…

"Well, we should get going." Temari said, sounding slightly exasperated, "Gaara, do you want to go home with us now," She questioned, looking at them, "Or do you want to catch a bus back home?"

Before he could answer, Lee piped in, stating that he could drive Gaara home if he wished.

He blinked, looking back and worth from Lee and his family. "Sorry, Lee, I want to go home and sleep. Tomorrow we can meet up again, okay?" He asked, shoving his fists deep into his pockets again.

Lee smiled caringly and nodded his head in understand, "Sure thing, Gaara-kun!"

---

"I'm surprised, Gaara," Kankurou stated while they were driving back home.

"About what?" He questioned dully.

"Not staying at Lee's house," He could hear the smile in Kankurou's voice, "Really, you two looked like you had a wild time in that bedroom earlier."

He scoffed, "Nothing happened, Kankurou… And you shouldn't be surprised; I'm tired. Our father's funeral was today… That really takes the energy out of people."

"Pft, now you're just talking bullshit." Kankurou barked.

"Well, it's true." He lied through his teeth.

"Oi, you two stop you're jabbering," Temari ordered, seemingly stressed, "Like I don't hear you two enough…" She trailed off mumbling to herself, several protruding swear words finding their way out of her mumble.

Kankurou scowled at her quickly before looking at the rearview mirror and at Gaara. "C'mon, tell me, Gaara, why didn't you stay with Lee." He seemed to have calmed down, his voice a friendly and caring lull (which was not anything near that by normal people standards…)

He frowned, darkly bagged teal eyes looking off to the side for a second before focusing on Kankurou's eyes in the rearview mirror. "I can't remember much about him. He's somewhat of a stranger to me still…" He muttered through clenched teeth.

Temari twisted her head around awkwardly, taking her eyes off the road, and stared at him. She quickly turned back through, steering the car back into the lane. "Gaara…"

Kankurou twisted himself around and looked at him, "What do you mean?"

He let out a rough sigh and hunched his shoulders, "I mean exactly what I said. There are huge chunks missing from my memory when Lee and me were dating. I have this feeling for him (don't go saying that I'm in love, I know that already) but I can't remember why. He's like a stranger to be, in a sense." He trailed off quietly, frowning harder.

The siblings were quiet; the ride back home was stuffy and silent.

Temari maneuvered the car into the driveway and killed the engine; she unbuckled and turned around to face Gaara. "Do you want to go see a doctor about this?" She asked, navy eyes keen to him.

He huffed, unbuckling himself as well, "No."

---

"Lunar what?" Kankurou asked, looking at the doctor with an odd look.

Despite not wanting to go to the doctor's about this 'ordeal', he was now there…

The man pushed the glasses up the bridge of his nose and wagged a finger at the three siblings, "Not Lunar! Lacunar!" Kabuto said. "He most likely has Lacunar Amnesia. Or, in other words, Selective Amnesia."

"Selective… Amnesia?" Temari asked, apprehensive.

"Yes, has anything extremely stressful happen lately?" He asked, eyes resting on Gaara.

He pretended to look like he was concentrating. _Well, let's see here. I'm in love with a guy who has three inch wide eyebrows, I've been in an insane asylum for five years, I have no idea what I'm going to do for a long-term career, I _still_ hear a crazy voice in my head, and my father died recently (Oh, wait, that's a good thing…)_

**"Oh, Gaa-chan, I know you still love me!"** Shukaku cooed.

_Psh, yeah right!_

"Well, our father did die recently…" He said, effectively hiding the sneer.

Kabuto wrote that down, "Okay, were you very close to your father?"

He hid his laughter well, "Yes, I was monstrously close to my father," His voice was seething in sarcasm.

"M'kay… Anything else you wish to tell me?"

"No."

"Hay, doc!" Kankurou barked, annoyance strong, "How do we fix this?"

"Oh, yes, yes," Kabuto stood up from his stool and strolled over towards the siblings. "The best thing to do is jog his memory of whatever he seems to be forgetting and make sure he doesn't get that stressed out again." He smiled and nodded to himself.

"Good," Gaara commented and strolled over towards the door, "Now let's go."

---

He never really slept that well. Even during his time 'locked up' and high on pills, he still never slept properly. Sometimes he wouldn't be able to fall asleep fully and just stay between consciousness and unconsciousness, while at other points, when he did sleep he dreamt horrible dreams that sent him tumbling out of bed covered in hot, sticky sweat.

All in all, he never truly slept a full night. At least, none that he could remember…

That was no exception for that night either. He simply stayed in his limbo of sleep, completely black with nothing but his and Shukaku's thoughts.

_I don't know what to do…_

**"Are you asking me for help?"**

_In a sort, I suppose that yes, I am… What am I going to do for work? I'm twenty and I'm living with my siblings. How pathetic… _

**"Yup, majorly pathetic!"**

_You're supposed to comfort someone when they're in this sort of situation, not mock them… _

**"I am you, so I'm pretty much sniveling to myself about this situation like you."** Shukaku paused, **"So there!"**

_I swear, you're like a teenager still. _

**"And I'd swear you're a socially retarded twenty-year-old gay who happens to live with his siblings and works as a busboy at a local diner."**

_That certainly was a mouthful… _

**"Jeez, really."** It inhaled deeply.

_You're not going to help me figure out what I should do in the future, are you? _

**"Nope!"**

_All right, than just shut your mouth and let me sleep. _

**"You know, I don't have to listen to you!"**

Gaara ignored him.

* * *

Author's Note: I can't figure out what careers Gaara and Lee should have. Suggestions would be wonderful.


	5. Chapter 5

Author's Note: I'm sorry. :( School's taken my life over, and I still have writer's block. Anyway, this is a transition chapter, that explains the shortness. If you look close enough, you can see what Gaara's future career might be and what might happen in the next chapter. :)

* * *

They held hands; Lee was smiling brightly while Gaara held the usual stoic frown, and stepped into the small diner and towards the bar where Temari stood with a cheeky grin.

"Quite a lovely couple, you two." She spoke loudly and clearly.

Naruto wolf-whistled from the counter, mirroring Lee's smile. He turned around and went back to his meal (which, surprisingly, was not ramen for once.)

Gaara grumbled irritably and unlinked their hands (he couldn't help but notice that Lee was blushing deeply) and stalked off towards the counter. He stood took the customary apron from his beloved sister and muttered a few harsh words under his breath; so softly, that the female was unable to hear him.

_I wish I were dead…_ He thought, frowning deeper as he watched wave good-bye and leave the diner with Naruto.

**"Oh?"** Shukaku inquired, **"I thought you liked your life! Don't go all suicidal on me Gaa-kun, or I'll have to take action."**

_Action? You don't even have a physical form! Would could you possibly do?_ He asked, walking towards on of the small tables and picking up the dirtied plates and cups and bringing them to the back room for washing.

**"Nag at you,"**

_I'd just want to die more if you did that,_ He thought back, speaking the complete truth. Gaara scrapped the leftovers into the garbage and placed the plates next to the sink. He rolled up his sleeves and started to wash them.

**"Point taken."** It replied with a cool tone.

He scoffed, rinsing the soap cover plate and placing it on the opposite counter for later drying.

---

As Gaara sat on Lee's plain, tan sofa he found himself staring (with a fixation that shouldn't have been used to look at something so simple) at his hands. The palms of his hands were still a rosy red from the work he did, and as he turned his hands over to stare at the tops of his hands, he found the contrast between red and pale quite fascinating. And before he knew it, he had spent a good half an hour turning his hands back and forth, watching the contrast between the two sides slowly disappear.

Someone tapped him on the shoulder; Gaara tore his eyes away from his hands and looked over his shoulder and at Lee.

Lee was looking at him with concern, "Are you okay, Gaara-kun?" He asked.

The redhead nodded, "Yes, I'm okay."

"Oh,"

Lee plopped down next to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. He had a smile on his face, but not the one that he had fallen for when they were teenagers. No, this one was one with worry and apprehension.

Really, it just made him feel weak. Like he needed to be worried about constantly and watched over like a child.

Despite this, he said nothing and leaned against Lee. He closed his eyes and sighed sharply.

The large browed man snaked an arm around his waist and gave him half of a hug.

Gaara was slightly glad that they weren't talking about touchy matters such as how he felt. It actually made him feel somewhat better.

"I love you," Lee spoke to him softly.

Gaara was glad.

---

On Saturday, when Gaara was off for the day and when Lee didn't have class, they watched a movie at the Sabaku residence while Temari was off visiting her boyfriend and Kankurou was at the mall trying to woo some ladies.

It was one of those movies that the whole country was in a total uproar about: one of those 'change your perspective of things' kinds of movies.

And, throughout the whole two hours (and six minutes) of the movie, Gaara found himself think more and more behind the whole mechanics of movies, and the many people who help make them.

Yes, movies…

---

It had taken three weeks for Gaara to finally settle back into a somewhat normal swing of things. That is, if his earlier life could have ever been considered normal.

He still helped with the other waiters/waitresses and, very unhappily, cleaned after the many people who ate at the small diner.

Life seemed to be getting brighter and better for him, admittedly, for he found life very comfortable living with his siblings (and later he was offered to stay with Lee, which he agreed to do so that he wouldn't be a burden to his brother and sister anymore) and was quite content with visiting Lee sometime after school and on the weekends (he even helped him with his homework.) All in all, life was pretty damn decent, he could say with confidence, and he was… Happy. Very happy.

**"Don't celebrate your gifts too quickly, Gaara. A single turn in events can change your life forever."**


	6. Chapter 6

Temari smiled and picked up her luggage, "Okay, guys, I'll be gone for a week. There's precooked meals in the 'fridge, all you have to do is heat them up in the microwave."

Kankurou sighed and scratched his cheek. His fresh-out-of-bed messy hair stuck out every which way. He was still in his pajamas, a very unmanly doll clenched in his right hand. (He was never able to sleep without Karasu there.)

Gaara stared at her blankly.

Apparently, his sister was going off to a camp where they taught you how to fly sir planes. Temari really had a passion for flying.

"Kankurou, don't forget to pick Gaara up from the diner at eight!" She said with a stern look.

He huffed and nodded sleepily. "Sure, sure." He mumbled.

Temari hugged them both and left, uttering a 'good-bye' and a 'love you'.

With the click of the door heard the two men stood in the silence of the house.

Gaara walked towards the kitchen to get breakfast.

---

He sat at the curb and frowned heavily.

_I should have known he wouldn't remember._

"**I knew."**

_Must it always be a competition with you?_

"**Yes,"** It replied, seeming to smile.

Gaara stood and brushed his pants. He straightened his shirt and set off walking. He slid his hands into his pockets and sighed angrily.

The man vaguely watched as a car slowed down next to him. He glanced at it; thin eyebrow arched, and tried to see the driver. He blinked in mild surprise as the door swung open and Kankurou's girlfriend smiled at him brightly.

"Hay!" She greeted.

Kankurou came into view, looking very apathetic, "Sorry, Gaara. I kind of forgot about picking you up." He said in apology.

"**She's cute."**

Gaara stepped back for a minute. _What?_ He asked, surprised by Shukaku's odd statement.

"**She is. She's cute. **_**Date her**_**."**

He frowned deeper and stepped into the car. _How about; no!_

Gaara could just imagine Shukaku shrugging in arrogance, **"Hay, just saying."**

_Keep it to yourself, monster._

"**You break my heart, Gaara-chan."**

_I'm glad._ He sat boredly and pressed his cheek against the window. He did seem to do that quite a lot it seemed; pressing his face against the window when he was experiencing boredom and frustrations. He could only imagine what the people outside saw…

---

"Kankurou," Gaara said suddenly the next afternoon, "Why do you like that girl?"

"**Want to get more info on her, hmm?"**

_No!_

"Which girl?" He asked back as he attempted to open the plastic container that held his future lunch.

"I believe her name is Tenten…"

"Oh, her!" He grinned and set the unopened container on the counter. "Well, she's hot."

"And?" Gaara continued, subconsciously egging on for more information.

"And what?"

The younger brother killed the urge to slap him for the sudden bout of stupidity. "What else?"

"Nothing else." He answered, and picked up his lunch again. With a powerful tug, Kankurou opened the plastic counter and grinned with success. He set it in the microwave to heat it up.

"I think she's cheating on me with that Neji guy, anyway." He said with a casual shrug.

Gaara watched the small plastic box spin slowly in the microwave, "You're okay with that?"

"Well, sure," he replied, "I don't like her that much anyway."

He furrowed his unnoticeable eyebrows and stood up and moved away from the kitchen counter. He stepped back to his room to see if he was forgetting anything.

---

Even though Kankurou continuously forgot to pick him up on time (Gaara really blamed Tenten, his girlfriend, for that since she was very distracting, at least, in his opinion,) he wasn't all that sour about it. He found himself unable to really feel too much anger (it was still there though) towards his older brother.

Gaara found himself getting excited (in a sense) for the upcoming Wednesday in which he would finish moving his amount of things to Lee's place and hanging out there until he was either able to stay permanently or until he found his own place.

He was trying to lean towards the earlier option.

---

He 'slept' on his family's couch and for the last night in his home. He still couldn't bring himself to sleep.

**"What Kanky said really messed with you, huh?"** Shukaku didn't sound in any way comforting like his words implied.

_Could it be possible that I… Could it be possible if Lee… Doesn't really like me that way..?_

**"You just hit the nail on the head!"**

_Shut up._

He still wasn't able to get to sleep.

---

"Gaara, get table six!" Ayame yelled to him, quickly moving to help her father cook.

He frowned and walked over towards the vacant table and glared at the pile of dirty plates and other dishes that were scattered across the table. Tucked under one of the _full_ glasses was a five-dollar bill… Not for him…

He lifted up his tray and pulled the plates and glasses and utensils onto it. He left the remaining glass and the tip on the table for the waiter who deserved it.

Gaara walked back to the kitchen, tray very unbalanced and about to fall, and tried to walk to the sink as nest he could. He almost crashed into the owner of the diner, but luckily the plates did not fall and/or break.

"Watch where you're going, Gaara." He warned and walked out into the dinning area to give the people their food.

He scrambled to the sink and set the tray down before exhaling in relief.

_Work sucks._ He thought irritably as he started to wash the plates.

**"I could work off what you said in many ways, Gaa-kun," **he was smiling, Gaara could tell, "**But I think you can understand what I might say."**

_You seriously need to stop talking, Beast, or else._

**"That's right! You'll do something about me, of course! The other times you 'tried' were so successful too."**

_Why must I be so cursed?_

"**You know you love me."**

_That's a lie._

At least he was going to stay at Lee's house that night. It soothed him to think of it.

---

He woke up, head pounding heavily. Or maybe that was his heart hammering in his ears?

Gaara forced his eyes open, lids stinging with sleep deprivation, and attempted to see where he was.

_Where am I?_

"**I wouldn't know."** Shukaku sounded different. Sounded normal…

He felt his heart hammer and a large swell of nervousness overcome him.

_What's wrong with you?_

**"I have the same bad feeling you have…" **

_I can't remember what happened last night… _

"**Nor do I."**

He opened his eyes again and tried to see if there was anything he could notice. But there wasn't. The room was the usual dark room black. There were blurry outlines of furniture, or something of that sort, but everything was just dark.

Gaara jerked slightly, just noticing that he was bound in something. His arms were tied behind his back, and his ankles were bound together. There was something tightly woven around his neck.

"I'm glad you're awake," A faceless voice greeted, "Are you feeling well?"

Gaara frowned and continued to look around. His teeth were bared slightly.

A form moved, and it came closer and closer until it was in view. A person…

He looked familiar.

"**He should."** Shukaku said with a snicker, **"That's the officer who 'arrested' you five years ago."**

Gaara looked up at the former police officer, remembering the long black hair, the bland eyes, the sense of indifference the other man had around him, even five years ago.

"**Officer Uchiha Itachi."**

"Welcome to the Akatsuki hide-out."


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes: **Hey everybody! Long time no see, right? Did'ja miss me?  
So, super fun time news! I haven't given up on this lovely little thing! -party- Excited, no? I can't guarantee that the next chapter will come out soon, but I certainly do have an idea as to what is going to happen next, unlike how I was before. So that means there will be less time for me to wallow in writer's-block!  
C:  
Oh man, it's been forever since I last read about the Akatsuki... I think I made them out of character. Err.

Does anyone else feel like Naruto is really lack-luster lately? (We need to see Lee and Gaara again! ;D)

* * *

His door flung open and hit the wall with a great crack. The items in his house rattled from the resounding bang.

He peered out of the kitchen and stared at Kankurou with wide eyes. "…K-Kankurou-kun?" He asked as he stepped out into the living room. He patted his hands on his pants in order to dust them off. His hair was all over. That was what he gets for trying to cook again.

Kankurou galloped up to him and grabbed the green man by the collar of his shirt, "Is Gaara here?" He shouted. His normally small eyes were wide with panic and distress.

Lee pulled himself away from the older man and gave him perplexed look, "Well, no, Kankurou-kun. He does not move in until tomorrow." He paused and stared at him, "Kankurou-sama, what is wrong?"

He back tracked and held his head in his hands, "Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit," he muttered to himself.

Lee's hands were sweating now, "Please, tell me what is going on."

_What is going on?_

The brunette looked up at him with eyes of fear and he stepped towards the door in an almost numbed sort of posture.

Lee was startled when he saw Kankurou drop to his knees and bring his hands up to his face. He stepped over to him quickly and knelt beside him, hands hovering over his shoulders, "Kankurou-sama, Kankurou-sa—"

"He wasn't there yesterday."

Both sets of black eyes looked at each other, almond against round.

"What do you mean?" He helped him to his feet and steered him towards the kitchen. He motioned for Kankurou to take a seat at the counter and he quickly scuttled around to get him a glass of water.

"I went to pick up Gaara from work… I was a little late because I had to drop Tenten off at her house and then I was a little busy with her parents and by the time I got there, he wasn't there! I looked around town all night, but I couldn't find him! He wasn't around anywhere. I went back home to see if he was there or not, but he wasn't!" Kankurou seemed to ignore the glass that was in front of him and, rather, clenched his hands open and close. His eyes shifted from the counter to Lee's face.

The man was frozen in his spot, hand almost retracted from the glass. His heart was beating heavily in his chest and he could hear his blood gush quickly into his ears. "E-Excuse me?" He asked, face feeling blank of all the flurry of emotions that riled through him.

Fear, anger, shock, discomfort, pain, grief, panic…

Kankurou did not say anything, looking deeply hurt and guilty. "I need your help. Please, Lee."

"Ha—" His muscles tensed, "Have you tried the police yet?"

"No, I haven't! Lee, please, you know him better than anyone else,"

His heart ached and he could feel tears build in his eyes.

"You must know why someone would take him! Or at least where he'd be! I know I'm his brother, but we've never been close. Please Lee, you have to help me." He appeared so broken, true panic running through his words and through his figure. He was hunched a little, appearing haggard. His hands were on his face again, cheeks compressed heavily and eyes screwed shut tightly.

Lee could feel previously unknown tears drip down his face and he stepped around the counter and pulled Kankurouinto a tight and possessive hug.

He felt his heart throb at the sight of the injured sibling and brought agony to his chest. He hated to see his… family… hurt so much and while he too was worried over Gaara's safety, he could not help but feel even worse when he saw how terrible Kankurou was taking it.

His naturally optimistic side took over at that moment, and options of hope filtered through his currently jumbled thoughts. _Gaara-kun is fine. He is a strong man after all. He is probably off at the movies or perhaps at the college to see if there are any classes that will allow him in this late. Yes; or maybe he is looking for a better job?_

"Please calm down, Kankurou-sama." He soothed, "Gaara-kun is fine. Please, he has only been gone for a couple of hours. He must be off looking for a better job or checking out the college to see if there are any classes that will allow him in."

He did not seem convinced. "Lee, listen to me. I have a feeling that something _terribly wrong_ is happening."

"Then we must contact the police first." He smiled despite the conflicting emotion inside of him. _I can only do so much, Kankurou-sama. We must leave this to the professionals._

* * *

Gaara struggled against his restraints, mouth pulled into a tight scowl. He could feel sweat build up on the small of his back.

_Do you know any techniques for getting out of ropes?_ He asked his demon, toes curling as he pulled harder.

"**Painful or not painful?"**

_Not painful._

"**Sorry kid, don't know any that don't hurt."**

Gaara ground his teeth a little. His back ached as he pulled his arms outward, attempting to break the ropes. _Why must you be so __**useless**__? What is your point of existence?_

The beast chuckled a little, but the humor was obviously lacking, **"I would humor you with a proper answer, but the situation is too dangerous to be taken with jokes."**

_Does that mean you understand what's going on?_

"**The Akatsuki is a gang; a rather infamous one at that. We've seen them on the news several times, actually. They're very dangerous and they've kidnapped several upper-class children to use as hostages for ransom."**

_And the police haven't caught them yet?_

"**They're very elusive."**

_So I'm being held for ransom?_

"**I presume so."**

He lifted his head and took another long look at the room he was in. A thought came to him suddenly: _what happened to the hostages after the money was given?_

Shukaku hesitated, **"I'm not sure. We never saw the conclusion of those reports…"**

His fatigue covered eyes fluttered shut as he leased an uneven breath, "I see."

The door opened and the light that berated his eyes make him sting even from behind his eyelids. Two figures, tall and short, stood at the door with their backs to the light, thus keeping their faces hidden.

The taller one stepped into the room and flipped on what Gaara presumed was a light switch.

It was and a large amount of light h-bombed his eyes. Gaara moaned almost silently and pulled against the ropes tied around his limbs once more.

A deep laugh came from the person closest to him. He assumed it was the taller man.

"He's a fighter, un?"

"So it seems."

His eyelids were peeled back and a blonde grinned down at him. The man's eyes were held wide with amusement and a sort of unhinged glee.

Gaara almost didn't notice the short red-head that lingered at the door.

The blonde lifted Gaara's head a little and looked at him for a long moment, heavily charcoaled eyes flickering back and forth over his face, "He looks a lot like you, Sasori-danna."

The other man grunted, "Really?" He stepped up to his "companion" and looked at Gaara straight in the eye.

"Well, I suppose." He knelt down as well and elbowed the blonde roughly in the ribs, "Now may we get to the point?"

"Un! Fine, fine!" He huffed and shifted to the other leg. "We brought ya here for one reason, Sabaku."

Gaara glared at the two, fully expecting the next words.

"You're our hostage until your family gives us what we demand."

"**Told you,"**

* * *

Kankurou paced back and forth, arms held behind his back.

He was distracting.

Lee looked back at the paper in front of him and let a low breath out into the receiver of his telephone. He had called to file a missing persons report, but the officer was having trouble finding the correct papers.

"_Found them!"_

"Ah, thank you Officer Yamashiro."

"_Alright, how long have they been missing?"_

Lee looked over at Kankurou before he answered, "A little over a day."

Scratching came from the other end as the Officer wrote, _"Name?"_

"Sabaku Gaara,"

"_Age?"_

"Twenty,"

"_Hair and eyes,"_

"Red and blue." He could feel his chest ache, remembering so very clearly the man he saw only the day before.

Now he was gone… again.

He slumped against his sofa, toes curling against his hardwood floor.

"_Height and weight?"_

"I am not quite sure about those… I think he is five foot and eight inches tall… But his weight is unknown to me."

"_That's fine. It's not as important but certainly can help. Where was he seen last?"_ The officer asked.

"Ichiraku Diner." He answered on cue. He gently chewed on his lip, something he had not done in quite a while.

"_Thank you,"_

* * *

He panted heavily, dirt collecting on his tongue.

"Where would they be, yeah?" The blonde asked roughly, pushing his face further onto the dirty floor.

Gaara's cheeks squished and he bucked a little in an attempt to get his kidnapper off of him.

"I know you know, Sabaku." He ground out, hair falling into his face.

"You're my stalker. Shouldn't you know?" He growled back.

"Just because we keep an eye on you doesn't make us stalkers, yeah."

The other red-head snorted as he leaved against the wall, "Hurry up, we're losing valuable time."

The blondeglared at him briefly, "Give me a minute!" His head turned back to him, "I know your brother is still here. I know your little boyfriend is still around too, yeah."

He thrashed, teeth bare and his eyes wild, "Don't you _dare_ touch Lee."

He sneered, "Or what?" His hand latched around the back of his throat and he lifted the younger up, "Are you going to hurt me? Kill me, yeah?" His teeth were bright, "Yeah right!"

"I'll—"

The blonde slammed him back to the ground, smashing his face into the hard floor. "Now _tell me_ where we can contact your fucking bro! He's not at the house, so where might he be?"

Gaarastarted to heave out heavy breaths, losing sight for a brief moment, "How the hell should I know? I'm not around him to see!"

"**Stop Gaara!"**Shukaku hissed bitterly, **"This idiot is going to fucking kill us if you don't shut your stupid trap!"**

His veins froze over and he stopped his struggle. Blood dripped down his forehead.

"Where might be be?"

He huffed, trying to recapture his breath, "Lee's house."

The blonde man let him go and stood up quietly, "See? That wasn't so bad, yeah?"

"You over did it." The guy by the door commented.

He shrugged, "We got our answer, didn't we, yeah?"

He sighed, "Let's go tell Him."

"Yeah, yeah."

They both left, shutting off the lights and closing the door, leaving Gaara to the dark.

* * *

Lee held his head in his hands, sitting on his sofa with Kankurou at his side. "We need to tell Temari-sama."

Kankurou jolted and he quickly turned to him, "No! We can't!"

"Why?" Both of their eyes were large. _What is Kankurou-kun thinking?_

"Temari is currently learning how to be a pilot. She's always wanted to fly. I can't take that away from her!"

"But Kankurou-sama! She needs to know what is happening to Gaara-kun!" His breath hovered, "She needs to know what is going on!"

"No. She entrusted me with Gaara and I'm the one who's going to get him back!"

"Kankurou-sa—"

"No Lee!" He sprung to his feet, marching to the door, "Don't tell her." His voice broke.

The raven-head followed Kankurou's lead, getting to his feet as well as going to the door.

The older male's hand hovered over the door handle, the other one held to his face.

"Ka… Kankurou-kun? Are you okay?" He placed a hesitant hand on the brunette's shoulder.

They shook him off and Kankurou opened the door slowly. He stepped out solemnly. "No Lee," he looked at him from over his shoulder, tears collecting atop his bottom lids. "No, I can't lose another family member." He jaw tightened and he left.

Lee stood quietly, watching as Kankurou became smaller as he stepped away. His chest burned hotter at the sight of his distressed state.

_Kankurou-kun…_

* * *

His eyes shifted from his ceiling to his nightstand.

9:00 PM

Lee expelled air and pulled himself out of his bed and stepped into his kitchen. He padded over to his cabinet and pulled a glass out to fill it with water.

_I hope Kankurou-kun is okay. What is he doing? Is he looking for Gaara-kun?_

The phone let out a shrill ring and Lee jumped with surprise. He set his glass down on the counter and stepped over to the phone on the wall.

"Hello?" He answered, phone held to his ear.

"_Hello, Rock Lee."_ The voice was synthesized and filled with static, _"We have something that might belong to you."_

His stomach dropped, "Who is this?"

"_That is none of your concern."_

"What do you want?"

"_We would like to know if Sabaku Kankurou is there or not."_

"Why?" He could feel his worst fears hang on his tongue, tears collecting in his eyes.

"_We have his little brother."_


End file.
